RAPHAEL Branco and Jordan Stewart were handed a chance to get back up-to-speed as they featured for Swindon Town’s development side away at Exeter City this afternoon.

Defender Branco, who served the final match of his three-game suspension for a straight red card against Bolton Wanderers earlier this month during Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Walsall, played 45 minutes, while Northern Ireland U21 international Stewart, who has been out since suffering a knee ligament injury in September, also featured.

Like Stewart, fellow first-teamer Jordan Young, who has also been sidelined with an injury problem, played just under an hour as Town were humbled 4-1 at Exeter’s training ground, slipping to their second Central League defeat of the season so far.

Bradley Barry and striker Luke Norris were also involved, while ex-Swindon defender Troy Archibald-Henville, who spent two years at the County Ground between 2012 and 2014, started for the Grecians.

It took just four minutes for Exeter to open their account and with nine minutes on the clock, they were fully in the ascendancy after notching their second of the afternoon.

Will Henry was called into action to keep out a close-range attempt from the Grecians’ Connor Riley-Lowe but on the half-hour mark, Town halved the deficit courtesy of an Archibald-Henville own goal, the defender’s back-pass rolling past his goalkeeper and into the net to make it 2-1.

Branco and Norris were withdrawn at half-time and it didn’t take long for the hosts to reassert themselves in the second period, with Exeter notching twice in the space of five minutes to stretch their lead to 4-1.

Swindon were beaten 5-2 away at Peterborough United on Tuesday, October 11, and will next be in action when they head to AFC Wimbledon, who play in the South East section, on Monday, October 31 (kick-off 2pm).

SWINDON TOWN DEVELOPMENT: Will Henry, Bradley Barry, Raphael Branco (Christian Frimpong 45), Mason Hathaway, Louis Spalding, James Georgaklis (Jordan Simpson 70), Jake Evans, Tom Ouldridge, Jordan Young (Callum Gunner 67), Jordan Stewart (Seb Martinez 67), Luke Norris (Scott Twine 45).